A Wilde Family Reunion
by Bmanlegoboy
Summary: Nick Wilde has managed to turn his life around completely, but he has still yet to fix one last thing.


It was another average day in Zootopia. Officers Hopps and Wilde had been patrolling since dawn trying to catch anything suspicious in their area. As the day reached its midpoint, Nick and Judy stopped by Snarlbucks to get themselves some coffee to help them stay awake during the job. While sitting down and occasionally making small talk toward one another, Nick would catch sight of another fox across the street. A vixen from the looks of it. But, something about her seemed to catch Nick's attention. Something... familiar.

"I'll be right back, Carrots," Nick said as he placed his coffee on the table and got up from his seat.

Checking both ways before crossing, Nick sprinted across the road to see if it was who he thought it was. She was shorter than he was, and had slightly lighter orange fur than his own, and wore a skirt that traced memories in the back of his mind. Just before his paw could reach out to her, she suddenly spoke to him.

"Leave me alone," she spoke.

That voice. Nick's memories were racing now.

"What?" he asked as his ears fell back. He now knew who she was.

"Leave me alone, Nicholas!" she shouted as she suddenly turned around and yelled at him.

Nick's eyes shot open in shock and fear at her command. With complete sadness on his face, he suddenly lost his balance and fell back, and fell through a giant hole in the ground away from her.

Suddenly, Nick sat up in darkness. Panting through his tongue, he felt around him to find that he was in bed, and that what he just saw was a dream. He then turned to his right and saw his bunny girlfriend and work partner sleeping with her back turned to him. Nick sighed as he rubbed his face with his paws.

Getting up from the bed ever so slowly as to not wake her, the red fox walked out of the bedroom and shut the door behind him, trying not to wake Judy. But as silent as he, Judy's ear twitched as the door clicked shut, and she slowly opened her eyes to notice her boyfriend wasn't in the bed. She then stretched and got up to see if he was elsewhere in their apartment. Opening the door, she walked down the hallway to the living room and caught sight of him on the small little balcony outside.

Staring at the skyline of the city with a blank expression on his face, Nick rested his elbows on the railing as he stared out at the lights of the tall buildings and listened to the bustling night energy of his hometown. His ear twitched as he heard a familiar feminine voice say his name.

"Nick?" Judy called to him. "What are you doing out here?"

Nick sighed as he leaned down to look at the street below.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Judy could see that Nick was feeling down. As she walked toward him, she squeezed herself under his arms and into his torso so she was tucked under his muzzle. Reaching up to his cheek, Judy rubbed his face to assure him that everything was ok.

"What's wrong, Nicky?" she soothed.

Nick closed his eyes as she said that childish version of his name. A name that someone used to call him when he was a kit. Standing up straight but still looking out at the skyline, Nick placed his left paw on her warm and soft back and his right on top of her head, petting her ever so gently.

"I had a dream. A sort of bad one."

"What did you dream about?"

Nick breathed slowly as he looked down to her.

"My... my mother."

"Your mother? What about your mother?" Judy asked curiously.

"I dreamt that I saw her again... but.." Nick then started to sniffle as his eyes watered. "But she didn't want to see me," Nick said as tears started making their ways down his face.

Wiping his tears away, Judy looked at those beautiful emerald eyes she had come to know and love.

"Don't cry, sweetie. It was only a dream."

"But it felt so real. It honestly felt as if that's how she'd react if she ever saw me again," Nick cried lightly.

"Nick, don't ever think that. She's your mother. Why would you ever think she doesn't want to see you?"

"Because I.. because I left her, Judy. I left her. I shut her out of my life. I didn't listen to her in my teenage years. After I... after I started hustling. Why would she ever want to see someone that probably caused her sadness and disappointment?" Nick asked with watery eyes.

"Because you're her son, Nick. You're her kit. Her whole world. You told me she loved you. She loved you so much, she helped you try to achieve your goal of becoming a ranger scout. Before the..." Judy tensed as she and him didn't really like to talk about that turning point in his life. "The incident. At least from what you told me," she said as she rubbed his back. "Whether she liked the choices you made or not, she will always love you no matter what you choose."

Nick hugged Judy as he stared up at the night sky, seeing all the stars and planets that were hundreds upon thousands of miles from Earth.

Seeing a shooting star zip quickly across the sky, Nick knew Judy was right. She was his mother, and she would always love him no matter where his life took him.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you. I still will never know how I got by in life without you," Nick sniffled as he kissed her forehead.

He knew what he needed to do to stop this sadness.

"After work tomorrow... I'm going to see her," the red fox decided. "I have to."

Judy smiled at him, knowing the her fox was finally going to patch things up between him and his mother.

"You want me to go with you?"

"No. No. This is something I need to do alone," Nick whispered as the two locked lips and kissed under the starry night.

6 o'clock PM. Their shift was finally over. As the couple walked out of the ZPD, Nick was feeling nervous more than ever. For the first time in almost 20 years, he was going to see his mother, the mammal who meant everything to him as a kit. Judy then said that she was going to head back to their apartment while he went to visit her. As they departed for the moment, Nick headed to the subway station to get a ride to his old house. Nick wasn't completely certain that after all these years, his mother still lived in the same place where he grew up. But whether or not she was there, it was a good place to start.

A little ride later, Nick stepped out of the station and walked up the steps to the street above. He then used his good memory to find his way back to his mother's place. After about 7 minutes of walking, he finally approached his old home. 2156 North Tripp Avenue, Zootopia. A small but solid house that was connected to others in a little neighborhood on the edge of Savannah Central. As Nick walked up the steps, he had flashbacks back to when he was a kit, walking up these steps everyday after school and then going out to play. When he reached the front door, Nick made sure his uniform didn't have any folds and was completely neat, as well as making sure his fur was straight and clean. He took one final breath before he lifted his right paw, and pressed the doorbell button, which echoed inside the house.

A few moments later, the door finally opened, and there on the opposite side of the door frame was the same vixen from his dream the previous night, and the same mammal that he saw everyday until he was 18 and left. She took notice of his uniform and immediately recognized that he was an officer.

"Hello. Can I help you, Officer?" she spoke in that same lovely voice he knew after all this time.

"Um, yes ma'am. I'm looking for a Ms. Lisa Wilde."

"That's me. How can I help you Officer-" she stopped upon seeing the gold name bar on his navy blue uniform.

'Wilde' it read. She then looked up to his face and noticed something else. His eyes. Those emerald green eyes. The only other fox and mammal that she knew with green eyes was... Could it be? After all these years? Nick knew she was starting to figure it out and his emotions started building up. Her eyes then started leaking as she inched ever so closer to the taller fox.

"N-N-N-Nicky?" Ms. Wilde stuttered while crying. "Sweetheart? Is that- is that you? Is it really you!?" she cried as her sky blue eyes stared directly into his green ones.

His lip was quivering and his mouth began to slowly smile as his eyes leaked. And with a whisper that was so small, Nick 'officially' spoke to her for the first time in 18 years.

"Hi mom."

Ms. Wilde covered her mouth as he said those words. The tears in her eyes not holding back anymore as they rolled down her face and onto her dress.

"Nicky! It is you!" she exclaimed as they engaged in a gigantic hug.

After all these years, mother and son had finally reunited. And a reunion that was long overdue.

"Mom," Nick cried, not caring if she saw him like this or not. "It's me, mom. It's me." Nick swayed back and forth while hugging his mother.

"Oh, my little angel! My little Nicky is home!"

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!" Nick suddenly shouted.

They then separated from their hug.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Lisa asked her son.

"For everything. For not listening to you, for not being the fox you raised me to be, and for leaving you! I'm not that fox you knew as a teenager anymore! I've changed! Please, Mom! Please forgive me!" Nick begged as he fell to his knees.

"Nicky, sweetheart, look at me."

Nick looked up to his mother to see her smiling down at him.

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for. And even if you did, I already would've forgiven you. All that matters is that you're here now. Please don't cry, sweetie," she asked him with tears of joy.

Nick hugged her from where he was and then stood up, wiping away his tears.

"My gosh. You got so big!" she smiled as she placed her paw on his cheek. "And you look so handsome."

As she rubbed his cheek, she noticed how much longer and soft his fur was since the last time she saw him. And how his facial features changed over the years.

"My little kit's a tod," she smiled.

"Hey now, I may be grown up on the outside. But on the inside, I'm still your little boy," Nick smiled as he placed his mother's paw over his heart, forcing her to sniffle.

"My beautiful boy. All grown up. And look at you! An officer!? How did you even...?" she asked while admiring his neat and slim outfit.

"It's... kind of a long story," he sheepishly grinned. "I just wanted to see you again and explain what's been going on in my life. Is that okay?"

"Is it ok? Of course it's okay. Please, come in," she gestured with her arm.

As Nick walked into his old home, he walked slowly, remembering so many memories from when he was young. He then walked over to the same mirror he looked into when he first put on his scout uniform. He then looked over to the table next to the mirror and picked up a photo. It was a photo of him and his mother. Upon viewing it, Nick's mother approached her son's side as he stared into it.

"I remember taking this photo."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how after all this time, but I do," Nick smiled.

Placing it back down, Nick and his mother sat down on the living room couch.

"So tell me, what's been going on in my little boy's life for the past 20 years?"

"Well, it was pretty much the same stuff until I was 32. Waking up every morning, going to work... doing hustles," Nick said while scratching his neck.

Ms. Wilde chuckled at her son's expression, even though on the inside she felt a little unsurprised he was still doing that stuff she didn't approve of at all.

"And then one day... I met her."

"Her? Who's her?"

"Judy. My partner at work and best friend."

Lisa smiled at her son, pleased to see that he finally had someone who would support him rather than herself.

"Anyway, I met her through a hustle of mine, and then I ran into her again, and she hustled me into helping her solve this big case she was assigned to..."

Nick then proceeded to explain everything that happened during the night howler case until finishing with him graduating from the academy.

"And since then, I've been working with her every day at the ZPD. And it's been the best few years of my life."

"Oh Nicky, I'm so proud of you. And I'm happy that you finally found a job where you're happy. As well as making a friend who trusts you like I do," she complimented.

"Well... she isn't just a friend... anymore," Nick blushed.

"Anymore?" Ms. Wilde questioned.

"Judy and I are... seeing each other."

His mother gasped, excited to hear that her son truly had become an adult. Her son had a girlfriend.

"Oh honey, that's wonderful! I'm so happy and proud of you!" she said as she hugged her son. "You said she's a bunny, right?"

"Yes, Mom. She's a bunny," Nick confirmed.

"Wow. That must be pretty interesting, huh?"

"Yeah it just... it just happened. We both loved each other and we realized that we were meant for each other."

"Must be pretty interesting during you know what, huh?" she smiled a little like how he does.

"Mom!"

"What? It's nothing to be ashamed of sweetie. You're an adult now, it's a natural experience that everyone experiences," she chuckled. "You... have done it already, right?"

Nick blushed as he turned away from her with an annoyed look.

"Yes. Yes, we've done it before... many times now." Nick whispered as he placed a paw over his face and fell back on the couch.

"Don't be embarrassed, honey. I'm just happy that you two actually get to experience it despite that you're different species."

"Thanks, I guess. And... you're perfectly fine that I'm in love with someone who isn't a fox?" Nick asked while sitting up again.

"Nicky, I don't care about who you date. I just want you to be happy. And if being in love with a rabbit makes you happy, then you have my full support!" Ms. Wilde said as she placed her paw over his.

"Thank you, Mom. I really think she's the one."

"Well of course she is. Remember honey, we foxes are mates for life," she winked. "I just hope I get to meet her soon."

"How about now?"

"How about now, what?" she asked.

"I mean would you like to meet her now?" Nick asked his mother.

Her ears shot up immediately when he asked.

"Really? Right now!?"

"Why not? The sun hasn't set yet. Plus, you can come over and see our place," Nick smiled.

Ms. Wilde smiled as she kindly accepted his invitation. Getting up and placing their arms around each other as they walked, mother and son would make their way back to the subway station to head back to Nick's home.

Walking through the hallway of the apartment complex, they eventually reached the door to Nick's apartment.

"Ok, let me just talk to her real quick and then I'll introduce you two, ok?" he told her.

"Alright, Nick," she spoke calmly.

Opening the door, Nick and his mother entered the drop zone of his home.

"Judy? Sweetheart, you home?"

"In the kitchen, babe."

Nick then motioned for his mother to stay where she was, to which she happily obeyed her son. Watching her son walk around the corner to the kitchen, Lisa looked at a photo hanging on the wall. It was him and Judy in their work uniforms. Just from looking at the photo, she could tell the two of them were happy being in each other's company. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Nick and Judy rubbed noses and gave each other kisses.

"So? How'd it go? Are you guys good? Was she still there?" Judy asked.

"It went good. But first, I need to introduce you to someone," Nick spoke. "Come on out!"

Nick then moved to her side as from behind the corner, a female vixen walked into the kitchen. Judy gasped as the slightly smaller fox walked up to her.

"Uh, hi," Judy waved with a slightly open mouth.

"Hello there," Lisa replied to the bunny.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Judy. Judy, this is my mother, Lisa." Nick smiled as he introduced the two ladies.

"So you're Judy. It's a pleasure to meet you, darling," she spoke softly while extending her paw.

"It's... it's a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Wilde," Judy stuttered as she shook paws with her boyfriend's mother. "Nick has said so many nice things about you."

The three then sat down on the couch for a while, talking about their jobs and other things.

"So Judy, what do your parents do?" Ms. Wilde asked.

"Oh, they're carrot farmers in Bunnyburrow. It's a little cliche, but it's what they like to do."

"I see. Well then what made you want to become a police officer?"

"Well, ever since I was young, I've always wanted to help people. And then there was an incident at school with a classmate of mine, and then the ZPD showed up, and I realized that the perfect job for me was an officer."

"Well that's very nice to hear, dear. And I'm certain your parents were supportive of your choice, right?"

Judy's ears fell behind her head, but she still had a little bit of a smile.

"Actually... they weren't. They wanted me to be a carrot farmer like everyone else in my family. And even when I finally made it, they were extremely worried for me," Judy explained.

Lisa felt sorry that her parents didn't support her growing up.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my dear. I would've never done that you."

"Thank you. And I know you wouldn't. But it's ok. After I accidentally broke my friendship with Nick, I quit and went back home. Only to find that they supported me fully and that they were starting to open up about other mammals. Especially foxes," Judy smiled as she grabbed Nick's paw. "Then when I came back, Nick and I made up and we saved all the predators in the city."

Ms. Wilde smiled at the two lovers.

"So when did you two realize you loved each other?"

"Oh, we've always loved each other, Mom. But in terms of 'love love', about a few months after I graduated from the academy," Nick smiled as he kissed Judy's forehead. "But that's only when we admitted it to each other. I think we fell in love with each other long before then, though. For me, when I told her about what happened when I was a kit and she said I could be more than what society saw me as."

"And for me, it was right before that when this sweet fox saved me from losing my job," Judy smiled as she rubbed her head under Nick's muzzle.

"Well you two are definitely something else. Something very special," Lisa complimented.

"Thanks, Mom. Thank you for accepting us."

"You're welcome, you two. My only wish is that your father could see you now," Ms. Wilde smiled.

"I wish he could as well," Nick frowned. "I miss him."

"You know, I've been meaning to ask. Ms. Wilde, what did happen to Mr. Wilde? Nick's never talked about his father before," Judy asked with a twitching nose.

Both Nick and his mother slightly frowned.

"Judy," Nick started, "my father... he died when I was very young."

Judy's face turned to a huge frown when she finally found out the truth.

"My father was a heavy smoker, Carrots. And before I was born, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. And when I was only 3..." Nick sniffed, trying to hold back tears, "he lost his battle and passed away. Leaving me and my mother alone."

Judy's eyes started to tear up when she finally learned of her boyfriend's father's fate.

"Nick, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset," she apologized as the tears began falling from her eyes.

"Don't cry, Judy," Ms. Wilde interrupted. "John was a good man. He cared about us very much. He did everything he could to prevent himself from leaving us. And he would've been very honored to meet you, dear. I can assure you that."

Judy smiled as Nick wiped her tears away with a tissue.

"And I would've been honored to meet him as well."

Ms. Wilde smiled at the compliment as Nick wrapped his arms around Judy.

"I love you so much, my little carrot cake," Nick smiled sheepishly at his love.

"I love you more, my sweet fox," Judy replied as the two of them locked lips for a moment.

Ms. Wilde watched with pride as her son kissed the one he loved. Feeling the urge not to stare, she then looked to the kitchen and noticed the time on the microwave.

"Oh, well would you look at the time. It's getting late. I best leave before it gets really dark."

"Are you sure, mom?"

"Ms. Wilde, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No no, it's fine. I need to get back anyway. Plus, something tells me I should leave you two alone," she winked, making Judy and Nick slightly blush.

"O... ok mom. If that's what you want to do. You want me to escort you to the subway?"

"If you want to."

Nick looked at Judy, wondering if he should. Judy then slightly shoved him, telling him to go with her. Nick smiled as he got up and escorted his mother to the door.

"It was nice meeting you, Judy. I hope we can see each other again soon," Lisa replied.

"It was nice meeting you too, Ms. Wilde. And I think we will," Judy waved. "Have a goodnight, ma'am!"

"You too, dear," she said as she and her son walked out the door.

Walking down to the lobby of the building, mother and son would walk out of the building and onto the street toward the subway.

"She's very sweet, Nicky. And cute, too," she spoke softly to her son.

"That she is, mom. But point of advice for you: Don't say 'cute' in front of her or any rabbit. Apparently it's a stereotype that rabbits don't like."

"I'll keep that in mind, then," Lisa spoke. "So... you thinking about proposing to her soon or something?"

Nick's ears went erect as she asked that question.

"I-I don't know, mom. Maybe? But let's just take this one step at a time, ok?"

"Alright, I was just asking, sweetie," she spoke kindly.

Finally, the two foxes reached the top of the stairs leading to the station below.

"Well, here we are. You know where to go, right?" Nick asked his mother.

"I'll be fine, honey," she said kindly while reaching up to his face. "It was so wonderful seeing you again, sweetheart."

Nick blushed as his ears fell back and he smiled.

"It was nice seeing you again as well, mom. And thank you for accepting me back into your life and for accepting mine. And I promise, we will be seeing each other more in the future," Nick said as he brought his mother in for a hug.

"Anything for my little boy. And I'm looking forward to it," she sniffed.

Nick then leaned down and planted a small kiss on her forehead, just like she did to him as a kit. A single tear made its way down her face as she leaned up and kissed her son on the cheek. Nick smiled sheepishly as she broke away.

"Goodnight, mom. I'll see you soon."

"Goodnight my little angel. See you real soon," she said as their paws separated and walked down the stairs, waving goodbye for now.

Nick stayed at the top of the stairs until his mother disappeared. Walking back toward his home, Nick couldn't help but smile, feeling that he truly had the perfect life now. He had a wonderful girlfriend who he knew he would marry someday, a nice home, a job, and now he had his mother back. The red fox then skipped slightly down the street as he headed back home for the night before stopping and looking up to the now star filled sky. Seeing another shooting star fly across the sky, Nick shed a tear as he spoke quietly.

"Dad... I know you're up there. I hope you're seeing this. Because I know it would make you proud," Nick sighed as he mumbled one last thing. "Love you, dad."

THE END


End file.
